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WILLIAM H. RAU 

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PORTUGAL 




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ILLUSTRATED BY TWELVE LANTERN V v5KCS>Cj>sjiiKi. 



SLIDES ** 






WILLIAM H. RAU 

PHILADELPHIA 
1890 



Copyright, 1890, by William H. Rau, 



ILLUSTRATIONS. 



1. General View of Lisbon and Harbor. 

2. Statue of Don Jose I., Lisbon. 

3. BouleVard dos Romulus, Lisbon. 

4. Ruins of Groumas, Belem. 

5* Sculptures in the Cloister, Belem. 

6. Tower of St. Vincent, Belem. 

7. Window of the Chapter House, Thomar. 

8. Gallery of the Cloister, Alcobaco. 

9. Library of the University, Coimbra. 
10. Gallery of Santa Cruz, Coimbra. 

ir. Gate of the Castle of La Pena, Cintra. 

12. Gallery in the Castle of Monserrat. 



PORTUGAL 



In the southwest corner of the continent of Europe 
lies a country concerning which, until of late years, 
the community at large had very vague ideas ; and 
yet it is a country of many attractions. Its scenery 
has the charm of newness and freshness, and great 
variety — craggy mountains, deep ravines, broad 
slopes of woods, and groves of spreading trees; the 
olive, the orange, and bright-leaved citron ; long 
sweeps of the trellised and festooned vine ; steep hills 
clothed to the summits with shrubs, the foliage varied 
in tint from the dark shadows of the bay to the 
tenderest green ; picturesque ruins of Moorish castles, 
and Gothic monasteries, unite to make Portugal one 
of the most enchanting spots on earth. F'rom almost 
every lofty height, many leagues inland, the rugged 
rocky coast, with its deep sandy coves, may be dis- 
cerned ; beyond is the wide expanse of the Atlantic — 
its waves now glowing with opal tints as they reflect 
the glancing beams of the sun, at other times crested 
with foam, and rushing impetuously onward to break 
in cataracts of spray against broken masses of rock, 
rent into a thousand fantastic shapes. 

Independently of its beautful scenery, the country 
possesses the great and permanent charm of a climate 
generally pleasant and wholesome ; a simple-hearted 
and primitive peasantry, picturesque and altogether 
novel in dress and in appearance. Queen indolence 

(911) 



912 PORTUGAL. 

reigns supreme over the sun-fed population, who, as 
devotees of ''sweet nothing-to-do," afford another 
instance of the fact that wherever nature assumes her 
queenly robes, man is her slave and never becomes 
her master. 

1. General VieAv of Lisbon and Harbor. — For 

beauty of situation the capital of Portugal disputes 
the second place among European cities with Naples, 
acknowledging Constantinople alone as its superior. 
It extends for five miles along the north and west 
bank of the Tagus, where the river spreads itself into 
a lake, and rises almost fairylike from the very 
water's edge. There are few more beautiful cities in 
the world than Lisbon. Rising on its many hills,, 
with its regular rows of tall, stately houses built of a 
peculiar greyish yellow limestone, which has nearly 
the appearance of marble, and with everything look- 
ing bright and clean in the clear southern atmos- 
phere, the first aspect of the city is very striking. 
The impression of the visitor will be that it is the 
cleanest city he has seen. The streets are daily 
swept and watered, are lighted with gas, and thanks 
to the well-arranged system of police, are as safe at 
night as those of any other metropolis. Lisbon has 
been a capital for several hundred years, and for a 
long period in the sixteenth century it had almost 
the monopoly of the world's maratime and commer- 
cial enterprise. Of all the westward-looking sea- 
ports, just when 'Svestward-ho" had become the 
watchword all over Europe, Lisbon was the grandest, 
the safest, the most frequented. It was the main gate 
to the East and West Indies. It had the finest 



PORTUGAL. 913 

position outside the Mediteranean, rivalling the 
beauty of Genoa and Naples, and exceeding the im- 
portance of declining Venice and enslaved Constanti- 
nople. 

2. Statue of Don Jose I., JLisbon. — In 1775, at 

the very time that Lisbon had reached the acme of 
its splendor and commercial importance, the great 
earthquake took place, causing the death of eighty 
thousand persons, and shattering to pieces splendid 
edifices and untold treasures of art. But from the 
wreck of the past the city has risen more beautiful 
than before. In the centre of the modern district of 
Lisbon is located the Praca do Commercio, called by 
the English, Black Horse Square, one of the grand- 
est squares in Europe, 585 feet from east to west, and 
536 feet from north to south. On the south side, 
which is open to the river, is a fine quay, with flights 
of steps leading down to the water, and called the 
Caes das Columnas from the two marble columns 
which ornament it. It was at this spot, that at the 
time of the great earthquake, the ground opened and 
swallowed up the stone quay then in course of erect- 
ion, together with a large number of people who had 
fled to its massive walls for safety. The three remain- 
ing sides of the square are formed of lofty regular 
buildings, with spacious arcades below, terminating 
next the river in a square tower on each side. The 
buildings are used as offices for the various govern- 
ment departments. 

In the centre of the square is the fine equestrian 
statue of Don Jose I., erected by the inhabitants in 
gratitude to the king and the Marquez de Pombal for 



9 I 4 PORTUGAL. 

their energy in rebuilding the city after the terrible 
and sweeping destruction of the great earthquake. 
The monument was executed by Portuguese work- 
men, and cast in one piece at the military arsenal. 
The statue, including the horse, is about twenty-one 
feet high, and represents the king in fantastic costume, 
with helmet and plume, a kind of toga over his 
shoulders, a baton in his hand, and trampling on a 
number of serpents. The pedestal, which is also 
twenty-one feet in height, is ornamented by a basso- 
relievo celebrating royal generosity. On the opposite 
end, nearest the river, are carved the royal arms and 
the head of the Marquez de Pombal. 

3. Boulevard dos Roiiiiilus, Lisbon. — Before 
1755, Lisbon, like Genoa, had no streets, but only 
hills. But in that year the earthquake did for Lis- 
bon all the good that a fire often does for Constanti- 
nople ; it made a gap through the maze of lanes and 
alleys, it caused a depression between the hills, which 
was subsequently laid out in the fine streets that sur- 
round the truly magnificent Black Horse Square, 
where one fancies himself in some stately quarter 
about the Paris boulevards. Except in the immediate 
neighborhood of this square and along the artificially 
widened quays of the golden Tagus there is no flat 
ground but what has been smoothed down and ter- 
raced up by dint of hard work and at a high cost. 
Prominent among these fine avenues is the Boule- 
vard dos Romulus, the general meeting place for 
merchants and seamen. It is surrounded with hotels, 
cafes and counting-houses, and is one of the finest 
thoroughfares in Lisbon. 



PORTUGAL, 915 

The old ox cart still groans and creaks execrably 
through the streets of the capital. They hold their 
ground wonderfully, for they must be antediluvian ; 
made after specimens preserved in the ark, and 
brought hither by Noah when he paid his sunset 
visit to Portugal. The wheels consist of circular 
pieces of wood with a hole in the centre; and the 
sound they make is ear-piercing, a deafening com- 
pound of a shriek and a groan. The drivers get 
accustomed to it, and the oxen are said to like it ; 
moreover it is a sovereign against ghosts, on which 
account the noise is endured and in some of the 
rural districts is aggravated by rubbing the parts 
with lemon juice. 

4. Rnins of Cxroiimas, Belem. — Wandering 
awhile around the streets of Lisbon, nearly every one 
of which is named after a saint, we finally wend our 
way to Belem, a suburb of the beautiful capital. 
Here we stop to admire the ruins of what was once 
a most stately pile. Notice the niches for statues of 
the saints, the carved and recessed doorway, the ex- 
quisitely embellished triple window abovb, and 
crowning all the alcove, in which part of the statue 
still remains intact. All these details enable us to 
form an idea of what the Groumas once was, and in 
imagination we see it rise pure and stately, in all its 
original beauty. All along the road are stretched 
the tables of the market people, with wide-spread 
umbrellas to keep off the rays of the burning sun. 
The Portugese merchant is the most polite, sleepy, 
listless and thoroughly inefficient being in existence. 
He is apparently quite indifferent as to whether he 



9l6 PORTUGAL. 

sells his goods or keeps them. He would always 
rather gossip than deal and seems to be in fear that 
if he diminishes his stock, he will have to bear the 
trouble of renewing it. He yawns across the table 
at his customers, and makes a foreigner laugh at the 
incongruity of a man keeping things for sale and not 
caring to sell them. 

5. Sculptures in tbe Cloisters, Beleni. — Situated 
just on the outskirts of Lisbon is the magnificent 
church and monastery of the Jeronymos. On this 
site once stood a chapel in which Vasco da Gama 
and his companions passed the night in prayer before 
setting out on the voyage which led to the discovery 
of India. The place of their embarkation was also 
near at hand, the river at that time bathing the walls 
of the chapel. On this spot, in token of his gratitude 
to God for the success of the Indian expedition, Don 
Manoel began the erection of the splendid church 
and monastery of Belem, which was continued and 
completed by his successors. The church is con- 
structed on piles of pine wood, which probably ac- 
counts for the fact that it was not injured during the 
great earthquake. It is Gothic- in style and is built 
of carbonate of lime, which admits of exquisite carv- 
ing and is very durable ; originally white, it has now 
acquired a warm rich brown hue. The cloisters are 
among the finest in Portugal, richly .decorated and 
striking. Most elaborate and singularly interesting, 
they are bristling with architectural gems, and are 
most beautiful specimens of Gothic tracery. The 
ornament is profuse and one cannot fail to be 
enchanted with the exquisite beauty of the details. 



PORTUGAL. 917 

The columns are beautifully sculptured, and enriched 
with the most fantastic and delicately wrought carvings. 
The cloisters now serve as a covered playground 
for the five hundred orphan boys who are educated 
in the convent buildings. 

6. Tower of St. Viiiceiit, at Belem. — On the 

banks of the river stands the beautiful old Torre de 
Belem; originally built in the stream, it now connects 
with the shore by a sandy beach to the west. It was 
projected by Don Joao II., and erected in the reign 
ofDonManoel. This ancient tower is an exquisite 
piece of carving and fret-work, and from the Tagus 
is most picturesque. Together with the Battery de 
Bom Successo it forms a defense of the river far more 
ornamental than formidable. 

It is related that during our late civil war, a vessel 
belonging to each of the belligerents entered the 
river. One of them almost immediately steamed off 
again ; the other instantly gave chase, in disregard of 
the rules laid down for observance in the port of a 
neutral power. By order therefore of the command- 
ant of Belem, a volley was fired from the battery 
as the frigate Sacramento passed ; but entirely with- 
out effect, though balls were used. The fire from 
the battery would have been answered by a broad- 
side from the frigate, as her captain afterward de- 
clared, had he not been unwilling that his guns 
should blow to atoms that pretty toy, the Torre de 
St. Vincente de Belem, 

7. Window of the Chapter House, Thoniar, — 

Thomar, the ancient Concordia, stands picturesquely 



91 8 PORTUGAL. 

on the Nabao, and is undoubtedly one of the most 
interesting towns which Portugal can show to the 
ecclesiologist. Its position on either side of a steep 
hill that is crowned with the enormous convent of 
the order of Christ, renders it most imposing. The 
chief attraction of the town is the convent, which is 
the most remarkable in the kingdom, and almost un- 
rivalled in Europe. 

The Templars who entered Portugal under the 
reign of Count Offonso Henriques, settled some 
time afterward at Thomar, erected a strong castle, 
and successfully repelled the numerous army of 
Moors which besieged the city in 1190, At the sup- 
pression of the order of Templars, King Diniz in- 
stituted that of Christ, which succeeded to the 
former's property. 

Passing the Church of St, Joao Baptista and the 
little Praca behind it, we begin to ascend the steep 
hill, the convent walls towering over our he^ds. 
Turning sharply to the left we enter the gate of San- 
tiago. Close to the walls are the remains of the 
chapel of St. Catharina. We next ascend a flight of 
steps and enter the church by the great south door, 
which is of the richest and most extravagant decor- 
tion. The plan of the chancel is unique. Opening 
out of the wide nave is a sixteen-sided choir, sup- 
ported by a central pier in the form of an octagonal 
turret, within which is placed the high altar. 

Under the coro alto is the chapter house, low and 
well vaulted in two bays, and with lattice work at the 
west end. This latticed window is most extrava- 
gantly decorated; the ornamentation is of the Gothic 
decline ; very exuberant, and somewhat lacking ip 



1 



PORTUGAL. 919 

taste, but redeemed by the novelty and originality of 
the design. 

8. Gallery of the Cloister, Alcobaco. — No one 

who cares to look at a fine old church will pass by 
the abbey of Alcobaco. The little town, situated at 
the junction of the rivers Alcoa and Baca, is cele- 
brated throughout Europe for its Cistercian monas- 
tery, the largest in the world. The convent was 
founded in 1148, by Affonso Henriques, who peopled 
it with monks sent expressly by St. Bernard at the 
king's request. The front is plain and unprepossess- 
ing. In the centre rises the gable of the church, 
flanked by two towers and crowned with a statue of 
the Virgin. On each side extend plain, bare wings. 
The interior is a pure Gothic style, beautiful and 
simple ; it is the purest example of early Christian 
architecture in Portugal. Its total length is three 
hundred and 'sixty feet, and its height is said to be 
sixty-four, though it is scarcely possible to help be- 
lieving that the latter is underrated. 

The cloisters, north of the nave of the church, are 
among the finest in Europe. They are of the purest 
transition work with many shaits and beautifully 
carved capitals. The arches are the perfection of 
majestic simplicity, and the vistas down the long, 
narrow corridors are exceedingly grand. 

9. Library of the University, Coiiiibra. — Coim- 
bra is a city dear to the heart of every educated 
Portuguese, for at Coimbra is situated the university 
at which has been educated almost every Portuguese 
who has attained distinction in letters or in law. The 



920 PORTUGAL. 

town lies upon a hillside looking down upon the river 
Mondego, whose gently flowing stream and pleasant 
banks have been sung in the verses of nearly all the 
poets of Portugal, who learned to love them while they 
were students at Coimbra. 

The University consists of a series of buildings of 
great extent standing on the plateau of a hill. There 
are eighteen colleges in all, and its five faculties — of 
theology, law, medicine, mathematics, and philosophy, 
are held in high repute. The collections of natural 
history, the laboratories, observatory, and other de- 
partments, are on a large scale, and are admirably 
conducted. 

The most interesting part of the University is the 
library, which is located in one of the most magnifi- 
cent apartments ever dedicated to literature. It con- 
sists of a fine suite of rooms with galleries divided 
into compartments for books of different languages. 
The decorations are profuse, but there is a pleasant 
solemnity of tone, in harmony with the purposes for 
which the rooms are designed — a certain repose that 
leads to thought and is favorable to study. Those 
who have attained the Doctorate in any faculty have 
the privilege of a room to themselves for reading, but 
no books are allowed to be taken from the library. 

10. Gallery of Santa Cruz, Coimbra. — The 

church and convent of Santa Cruz is the great sight 
of Coimbra, and is most interesting on account of its 
historical associations. The bishop, Don Bernardo 
having, in 1129, permitted the canons to abandon 
the cloistral life and to hold private property, Don 
Tello, the archdeacon, and some of his followers. 



PORTUGAL. 921 

refused to accede to such a violation of the ancient 
discipline, and resolved to continue the canonical 
under the strict rule of St. Augustine. They ob- 
tained from Affonso Henriques this site, and the 
foundation of the monastery was laid by him in 1131. 
The church was rebuilt by Don Manoel in 15 15. 

The cloisters, in the late Gothic style are really 
elegant; the slender shafts are covered with delicate 
tracery in imitation of trunks of trees. Where the 
graceful, springing arches meet in the ceiling the in- 
tersection is ornamented by a beautifully carved 
rosette. The walls are decorated by finely sculpt- 
ured mural tablets. A fitting place, these corridors 
seem, for study and meditation. 

In the church are the tombs of Affoso Henriques 
and his son Don Sancho, the first kings of Portugal. 

11. Gate of Castle of La Peiia, Ciiitra. — On the 

edge of the rocky Serra de Cintra, stands the beau- 
tiful little town of Cintra, the favorite summer resort 
of the upper classes of Lisbon. The scenery is most 
charming. Lord Byron exclaims : 

" Lo ! Cintra's glorious Eden intervenes, 
In variegated maze of mount and glen ; 
Ah, me ! what hand can pencil guide or pen, 
To follow half on which the eye dilates." 

Southey declares it to be ^^the most blessed spot in 
the habitable world." 

Perched, as if by magic, on the lofty peaks above 
the town is a magnificent Norman-Gothic castle, 
which was originally a convent built by Don Manoel 
for the Jeronymite monks, and dedicated to ''Our 



92 2 PORTUGAL. 

Lady of the Rocks." On the suppression of con- 
vents the Pena was bought by a private gentleman, 
and was shortly afterwards purchased by the king 
Don Fernando. By him it was restored with much 
taste, and has assumed the appearance of a feudal 
castle. Its monastic character is well preserved in 
the interior, and the cloister and chapel are retained 
in their original condition. 

The top of the mountain immediately below this 
'* Castle of the Rock " is laid out in shrubberies and 
gardens, broad walks being cut in every direction 
through the soft rock. The principal entrance is 
approached by a winding road and a drawbridge. 
Everywhere we see towers and turrets carved in most 
fantastic and capricious designs. Such portions of the 
convent as remained in a fair state of preservation 
were retained, and to these were added square tur- 
rets and cupolas, castellated walls, courts and arched 
passages. The carvings which adorn every archway 
and entrance, every projecting window and frame-^ 
work of the doors, are most elaborate, elegant and 
full of inventive fancy. 

12. Gallery in ( astle Monserrat. — Three miles 
from Cintra is a most lovely and interesting spot, the 
luinta de Monserrat, the property of Sir Francis 
Cook. The gardens are unique for the variety and 
beauty of their vegetation. Plants from almost all 
parts of the world here flourish together in the open 
air. A little glen adorned with tree ferns that have 
grown to a great size, reproduces the scenery of the 
warmer parts of New Zealand. The palms of the 
islands of the Indian Ocean attain full stature and 



PORTUGAL. 923 

ripen their fruits ; while the flowering trees and 
shrubs of South America and Australia flourish 
equally well. 

The situation of the palace is exceedingly beauti- 
ful. It occupies a projecting mound which com- 
mands an uninterrupted view of the valley of Collares 
and the ocean. The decorations and furnishings are 
of the most costly kind, as well as in excellent taste ; 
the gallery is a marvel of Arabesque tracery, and 
contains a valuable collection of works of art. Into 
the construction has been put all the charm and 
beauty and romance of oriental luxury. The rich 
capitals of the columns, and the delicate tracery of 
the arches are wonders of art. The flower-decked 
fountain makes music in our ears while we pause to 
admire the graceful pose of the Venus de Medici, 
and the lovely Hebe, who still pours out the nectar 
of the gods. 



